June 28, 2010

How to choose a paint color

No, I'm not going to answer that.

I'm asking.

How the heck do you choose a paint color?

If you have seen the picture of our dining room with all the paint samples on the wall (check it out here) you will be shocked to know that I have yet to find a paint color for the living room - that photo was taken months and months ago. It is so pathetic. My wall still looks like that - it is so ugly. Which is why I am making it my mission to find a paint color this weekend and I may need a little help choosing.

Okay, a lot of help! Because I have been trying. I think I am extremely indecisive.

Awhile back I started collecting paint samples of colors I liked for my home and put them all together here:

By punching holes in the corners and stringing a metal ring through it creates a great fan deck. The only problem - at least in my case - is too many options. At least I know my paint color is in there somewhere. Just need to find it.

Another great tip is to collect on a separate ring with paint chips of colors you currently have in your home. I have also done this with fabric samples from my home. It makes shopping for rooms so much easier. Just pop it in your purse and go. They are so small you can leave a set in there for those impromptu finds. I would hate for you to miss a great deal or item because you just weren't sure it would work.

So my back to my problem. Please help! Any tips or advice you can give for finding the right paint?

My first priority for painting is the living/dining room. I must hide those swatches plus it currently is this hideous mauve color - yuck. I'm thinking of a pretty taupe, cream or grey (maybe a very soft green or blue or blue-green.) Here is the room, any thoughts?

Ok, so first of all I want to keep this room light and airy and combat the dark couch. I wish I didn't have to have a dark couch but with two large, black dogs it is a necessity so I want a color that can lighten that up. My curtains are muted blues, greens, creams, a dark sage stripe like the couch, yellow and thats it.

I am thinking of painting some of the dark furniture a distressed white/off-white. Not all of it but I think for sure the coffee table....so with that info, what do you suggest?

Another room I want to paint soon is our bedroom. We painted it right when we purchased the house, I do not like it at all. It is a nice masculine color for Bran but it is also ugly and dark. So I am thinking for this room a soft grey would be really cool.

So please tell me what you think. Do you have a favorite color in your home? A great tip for finding it? Please share!

4 comments:

Jess! I love this stuff:)there are great books out there with color groupings for whole houses. Try finding those bc they often give you 1 or 2 colors to start a good base with and it helps you keep your whole home complimentary. Love it when you can move accessories from room to room. Pottery barn has great books and free pairings of Ben Moore swatches! Grab those cause they help you see what that color looks like in a room in diff lighting with diff furniture pieces. Sounds like taupes and creams and grays for you. Sounds like a great pallette! Check the Ben Moore historical colors and let me know if you need another eye. I'm always up for picking paint colors. Good luck!Love your 'house swatch book' idea by the way:)Kelly

Maria is the best at picking out colors- make her help you! I vote light green for the living/dining room or possibly a warm light blue but it can get cold easily so blue is a hard wall color. Oh and grey or light brown would be pretty for the bedroom or maybe your alcove area dark brown and the walls light brown... I think you should do something fun with the neat alcove area of the wall.